HBCU guarantee money could dry up

DUER SHARP
SWAC COMMISSIONER

SAVANNAH, Georgia -- When Savannah State football coach Earnest Wilson III went searching for future opponents a few weeks ago, he called FBS programs like Iowa and Miami, the kind of deep-pocketed athletics departments that are capable of writing the Tigers six-figure checks in exchange for being a sacrificial lamb for one Saturday.

"Iowa told me they couldn't do it," Wilson said. "Other programs told me they couldn't."

As major college football moves to the four-team College Football Playoff this coming season, in which two national semifinals and a championship game will determine the sport's national champion, cash-strapped HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities) like Savannah State are being further squeezed out of the equation. Strength of schedule is one of the criteria the 13-member selection committee will consider when choosing four teams for the playoff, so FBS teams are less willing to pay FCS opponents such as Savannah State for what would probably be an easy victory.

"It is kind of unchartered waters with strength of schedule being what's going to be looked at," said Southwestern Athletic Conference commissioner Duer Sharp. "Our schools just have to be smart. There are different ways to make money, and you've got to be smart about it."

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